Do you know anybody that is passionate about nature? That was the case with Edward Reis, a former forest ranger who absolutely loved being outdoors. In 2008, his life changed when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Rather than being able to go outside, he was now bedridden and was moved to Evergreen Hospice, an adult nursing home.
Leigh was a registered nurse who came to visit Reis three days a week to provide him with hospice care. They began forming a strong bond.
When Leigh found out that Reis had a desire to go outside one more time, she realized that it was necessary to make it happen. She contacted the local County fire Department and asked if they would make his dying wish come true.
You can follow along with the story through the pictures below.
Leigh Gardner is a registered nurse with Evergreen Health Hospice. A few years back, she had a man under her care three days a week, every week.
That man was Edward Reis, who was bed ridden after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008. Prior to the time that he was diagnosed, he was a forest ranger and loved nature.
Leigh described him as being a gentle soul.
In 2014, he informed the hospice chaplain that he wanted to go outside one more time. Gardner was then contacted and in turn, she contacted the local County fire Department to ask for help.
They agreed
Firefighters arrived at the Evergreen Hospice, loaded the man onto the fire truck and headed off to grant his final wish.
He was taken on a three hour outdoor excursion through the beautiful countryside.
They led his hospital bed up and down the trails and he was able to connect with nature again. He smelled the fresh air, heard birds chirping and the sound of leaves rustling along the ground. The firefighters even put their hands to his face so he could smell the bark and flowers they were touching.
It absolutely filled his heart.
Nobody knew if he had ever married or had children or if he had any family but at that point, the firefighters had become his family.
Shane Cooper is one of the firefighters and paramedics who accompanied him on that day. He said Reis didn’t speak much but he did form the words to describe the nature that was around him.
“That made it all worthwhile,” Cooper told ABC. “That’s a highlight of my career. I’ve been here for 25 years and that’ll stay one of the highlights.”
“The wheels of a gurney are like a shopping cart, so very small wheels on a trail – and it wasn’t like one of those little running trails at all, it was like a hiking trail … and we would stop every so often and he would just sit and listen.”
“And you know I went over to him and I said, ‘Are you happy?’ He’s like, ‘I’m so happy.’”
Shortly after his outdoor excursion, he passed away.
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